Controversial former presidential candidate says he will run for NHGOP Chair

Andy Martin is back

Andy Martin was so upset over the way the state Republican Party treated him as a Republican presidential candidate in last year's New Hampshire Primary he threatened lawsuits and even purchased radio ads attacking party higher-ups by name.

Monday night he says he will announce that he now wants to be the state party chair himself. If he does run, he will run to fill a vacant seat against former congressional nominee Jennifer Horn and former Newt Gingrich state director Andrew Hemingway. The election among party members will be on Jan. 26. Martin says he is a registered voter in Manchester. Being a state resident and a member o the party is a requirement for the job.

“I am obviously a controversial choice for chairman, but I am the only choice if Republicans want to win in 2014," Martin said.

Martin first made headlines in the state two years ago. In February 2011 he declared himself the first Republican presidential candidate to announce. As any candidate would do, he began to reach out to local Republican organizations. The Contoocook Valley Republicans invited Martin to address their group. Before the meeting, however, past statements by Martin, seen as anti-Semitic by some party members came to light. Martin was dis-invited to speak to the group and the event was removed from the state party website.

Martin blamed the state Republican party chair Jack Kimball and a top Kimball associate Jennifer Horn for orchestrating the dis-invite. He ran radio ads attacking both Kimball and Horn personally on local airwaves.

(Martin received 19 votes in the 2012 New Hampshire Republican primary.)

Monday morning, Martin sent an e-mail saying he will run for chairman. He plans to make the announcement on a conference call Monday night.